Blend 3 tbsp of the cooked yellow peas (cool slightly) with the green chilli, cilantro and mint adding few tbsp of water as needed. Fry this paste in the oil for a minute. Then add the dry spices and fry 2 -3 mins. Add the cooked yellow peas, salt, jaggery, tamarind and about 2 cups of water. Mix well and bring to a boil. Then simmer on low for 7 - 8 mins until the gravy thickens.

Potato - Tofu Pattice -

2 big Russet potatoes - boiled, peeled and mashed

1/2 cup firm tofu - drained and grated

salt to taste

pinch of turmeric pwd

1/2 tsp ginger paste

1/4 tsp red chilli pwd

1/2 cup bread crumbs

Oil to shallow fry

Mix all the ingredients except the bread crumbs and oil. Make about 12 round patties. Coat with the bread crumbs and shallow fry in oil until lightly browned and crispy on both sides.

To assemble, place 2 patties in a shallow dish. Top with 1/2 cup hot ragda, followed by some chopped onions; tomatoes; dates-tamarind chutney; mint chutney (I have used store-bought chutneys here); yogurt whipped with some salt, sugar and water; and finally some shev.

This was our meal last Friday evening, but can be served as a filling snack item too.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

I prepare these Avocado Parathas every so often. This is a good way to consume this fruit, which though high in fat, is also very healthy since most of the fat is the monounsaturated kind. It is also rich in potassium and vitamins B, E & K. The addition of avocado does not really alter the taste of the roti/paratha, just makes them super-soft and healthy.

Cut the avocado in half, remove the seeds and scoop out the fruit into a mixing bowl. Mash the avocado very well using a fork. Add salt and the wheat flour. Knead well to form a soft pliable dough. No need to add any water and/or oil. Keep the dough covered with a wet cloth for 1/2 hr. Then roll out rotis/parathas as desired and roast them on a non-stick pan over medium heat till brown spots develop on both sides.

Heat the oil in a large wok. Add the chopped veggies and saute about 5 - 7 mins. on medium heat till cooked but slightly crunchy. Add the Pomodoro Sauce or chopped tomatoes and seasonings. Stir to mix. Add the cooked pasta. Check and adjust seasonings. Take off heat. Top with shredded parmesan cheese.

Serve immediately. This dish tastes best when its hot/warm. It makes for a good weeknight meal since its quick and healthy.

Friday, August 20, 2010

I came up with this cake based on a few different recipes, mainly from chef Suvir Saran's cookbook and Manjula's Kitchen website. This turned out so well, that too for a non-baker like me. I have made it several times, doubling the recipe for a large crowd as well as halving it and it works great every time.

Preheat oven to 350F.
Lightly butter a cake loaf pan.
Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl - APF, baking pwd, baking soda, cardamon pwd and salt.
Add the melted butter and mix well.
Add the sweetened condensed milk and fold it in gently.
Add the chopped pistachio nuts, vanilla extract, pista essence and milk. Mix well with a light hand.
Pour into the prepared loaf pan and bake for about 45 mins. If halving this recipe, bake for only 35 mins. If doubling add another 5 mins or so to the baking time.

Rub the eggplant slices with 1/2 the red chilli pwd and salt and rest for 15 mins. They will ooze some water. In the meanwhile, mix the rice flour with the remaining chilli pwd, salt, cumin pwd and asafotida. Dip the eggplant slices in the rice flour mix to coat on both sides. Shallow fry on both sides in a non-stick pan using oil as needed.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

I made this Tiranga Pulav today on the occasion of India's Independence Day. The basic idea is from a very old Tarla Dalal recipe book that belonged to my mom. The book used food color, but I decided to use veggies only.

To assemble - Rub some oil in a casserole. Spread the orange rice on top, followed by the white rice and the green rice. Press gently. Then place a plate over the casserole and upturn. The Tiranga Pulav should slide out easily.

I love Mexican food (vegetarian ofcourse) and especially Quesadillas. I have already posted my Bell Pepper Quesadillas and Zucchini-Corn Quesadillas. I saw a recipe in the Vegetarian Times magazine featuring sprouts as the filling and was quite intrigued. So I tweaked the recipe to spice it up a bit and was very pleased with the results.

Mix the salt, taco seasoning and cilantro with the sprouts. To assemble the quesadillas, layer each half of the tortillas with the sprouts mix, top with sliced onions and tomatoes, cheese, salsas and few drops of the hot sauce.

Fold the tortillas over and cook on a non-stick pan with few drops of oil until lightly browned on both sides.

Serve the warm tortillas, cut in half with salsas, sour cream etc. These a quite flavorful and can be eaten just by themselves without any accompaniments.

Before I end this post, here are some pictures of how I prepare my sprouts.

Wash the moong, matki beans well and soak in pleanty of water overnight.

Next morning, they will have started sprouting. Wash well again in water and drain into a colander.

Cover the beans in the colander with a plate and place some heavy cans over the plate.

By next morning the sprouts are ready.

I usually make a big batch of them, pressure cook them (2 whistles) and freeze them in smaller bags. This comes in handy when I'm short on veggies.

Boil the tomatoes in water for 5 mins. Cool and blend with 1 cup of the water used for boiling. You can peel the tomato skin if desired before pureeing, but I use the whole tomato.

In a pot, make the tempering by heating the oil and dropping the mustard seeds. When they stop spluttering, add the cumin seeds, asafotida, turmeric pwd & curry leaves. Add the pureed tomato, salt and jaggery. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and add the coconut milk. Simmer for 5 mins. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

About Me

Ever since I started cooking, the kitchen is the one place where I feel totally in command...hence the blog name.
I'd like this blog to be a one-stop shop for all my favorite recipes...and hopefully you will like some of them too. Thanks for stopping by.